Greetings,
While looking over the list of TSB's on wk2jeeps.com, I wondered how many of the known issues covered in these TSB's get fixed on the assembly line, before the vehicle is released to the dealer?

Many of the TSB's include a similar reference: "All applicable VIN's, sold or unsold, have been loaded. To verify that this service action is applicable to the vehicle, use VIP or use a VIN search in TechConnect.". . . The TSB's usually refer to a "Built Before Date". Can we take that to mean that any/all vehicles build after this date have been "corrected" before leaving Detroit?

Putting it a different way, does anyone know if any / some / most of the firmware "flash" ECU/PCM/TCM patches, or hardware swaps/fixes, are being applied on the line during assembly, or does Jeep wait until a complaint is made before correcting a qualified vehicle? It would seem to be most efficient to correct everything possible at the factory before shipping. But what would I know, I'm just a college professor! :)

On a related note, is there any way for an owner to access Chrysler/Jeep TechConnect to see what TSB's mat be "open" on their VIN, as in the way we can track our builds on this Forum? JG.org has repeatedly proven to have more up-to-date and accurate info than my dealer! Just a thought.

mofeen

03-19-2011 11:53 AM

Re: Question about TSB's

Or does Jeep notify owners of possible TSB's for their vehicles?

Technosavant

03-19-2011 12:13 PM

Re: Question about TSB's

Note that TSBs are NOT recalls. They also are NOT RRTs (the rapid response items that get covered as your vehicle comes through the service bay). They are simply items which say "hey, we've noted that this can be common, here's how to fix it."

They are usually incorporated as running changes in production. They may be done to vehicles that have been produced but not delivered. However, unless you are experiencing the problem, you will be hard pressed to have your dealer apply a TSB to your vehicle; there's no reason to do so if there's no problem.

If you have a problem that is covered by a TSB, then go ahead and have it dealt with. If a TSB covers something you haven't noticed but your vehicle is technically one that could be affected, ignore it.

Example: I haven't had the HVAC control TSB applied, because mine doesn't suffer from the problem. I did have the PCM TSB applied, because I did notice an issue.

There's no need to sit around worrying if the TSB has been performed to your vehicle. If you have an issue, check for an applicable TSB. If not, don't worry about it. If you just check for potentially applying TSBs without experiencing issues, you're wasting your time, your dealer's time, and you're going to start inventing issues to run down. Relax. If you did this with your doctor (looking up WebMD for every little thing), you'd be considered a hypochondriac.

If there's no problem, there's no problem.

wreckdive

03-19-2011 01:08 PM

Re: Question about TSB's

^ Thanks, Techno, acknowledged.
My question has more to do with the concept of Total Quality Management as an ongoing endeavor. Chrysler touts its "Six-Sigma" approach as both a process and form driver in the design of new vehicles, notably the WK2. I'm just trying to learn if there is any formal policy in place for correcting known issues proactively for greatest efficiency and profitability. Allowing known or correctable problems to seep into the dealerships, then into the garages of new owners is neither efficient nor conducive to the highest-possible consumer experience.
Just being curious.

Technosavant

03-19-2011 05:10 PM

Re: Question about TSB's

In which case your answer is that such fixes are applied as a running change in production. A running change is where a different part is used, updated software applied, etc., all as the thing is built. They aren't still building them 100% identically to how they were when they started production; the various TSBs are fixed at the production level.

In other words, the vehicles rolling off the line now have the updated software for the ESC (for example), they aren't waiting until it's built or at the dealer to be applied. If something is built but not yet sold when a TSB comes down, the vehicle will likely not yet have the fix applied, and they'll wait for the problem to manifest itself.